St. Kitts and Nevis agriculture ministry holds annual review and planning meeting

St. Kitts and Nevis’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, held its Annual Review and Planning Meeting. On the occasion, the ministry outlined a path for the continued growth and development of the dual island-nation’s agriculture sector, along with its stakeholders and partners. 

Celebrating 30 Years

The meeting, which is an annual exercise, saw all agricultural stakeholders, including government officials, farmers and representatives from related agencies, to look into both successes and challenges faced in 2024. Themed “Celebrating 30 Years: From Soil to Sea; The Journey to Sustainability”, it also looked to build on the successes in 2025. 

The annual review and planning meeting saw Agriculture Minister Samal Duggins delivering a keynote address and reports presented by St. Kitts and Nevis’s Director of Agriculture Yu’Shaner Jeffers and Director of Marine Resources and Chairperson of Cannabis Board Jihan Willaims-Knight.

Other officials from the ministry, government officers and agricultural experts also delivered insightful presentations at the event held at the CUNA Conference Centre in Basseterre between 9 am and 12 noon. The event also saw a Steel Pan rendition by Shamar Pemberton.

Besides in-depth discussion on the progress and future direction of agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis, the event also gave agricultural stakeholders a platform to contribute to the development of strategic plans to ensure a collective and informed approach to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities. 

The ‘25 by 25’ Agenda

One of St. Kitts and Nevis’s major Sustainable Island State Agenda goals has been to increase local food production to achieve food security. The country has actively participated in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) initiative to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025 under the ‘25 By 25’ agenda. 

In 2024, the ministry’s annual meeting and review planning saw comprehensive reviews of its achievements and initiatives throughout 2023 which were underscored by significant steps taken towards advancing the ‘25 by 25’ agenda. 

Emphasizing a sustainable agriculture sector, Minister Duggins said that the development of such a sector depends on the Federation’s capacity to adopt new and innovative practices and advanced technologies. 

The theme of the 2024 meeting was “Securing our Future for Sustainable Agriculture through Partnerships by 2025 and Beyond”.

Recently, Duggins visited several agricultural farms across St. Kitts where he talked with farmers about successes and challenges they faced in implementing the ‘25 by 25’ agenda. The agriculture ministry has also provided them with necessary training, materials and technical assistance to facilitate the mission.

One of the main aims of the agriculture minister’s visit was to encourage the farmers to promote their products on the global stage. He assured them that support would be provided to them to mitigate the Caribbean island-nation’s dependence on foreign products and enhance their local agricultural sector and economy as a whole.

Agriculture Open Day in Oct 2025

The agriculture ministry announced in January that the 30th edition of the Agriculture Open Day will be celebrated in St. Kitts in October to celebrate three decades of agricultural development and innovation under the same theme chosen for the latest annual review meeting “Celebrating 30 Years: From Soil to Sea; The Journey to Sustainability.”

The dates are October 2 and 3, 2025. 

The agriculture fair, which is led by the agriculture ministry, has long served as a platform for farmers, food producers, researchers and the general public to engage in talks, share knowledge and look for innovative agricultural solutions.